It’s been a special season for Hawks cross-country runner Abraham Espinoza. His latest performance just added to his legacy.
“We didn’t know if Abe could finish first,” Head Coach Steve Navarro said. “It was in Hartnell College’s home course and he beat out their top runner.”
It was the Coast Conference Championships on Oct. 30. Espinoza finished first overall with a time of 20:26.70. The time was a course record for LPC and helped put the Hawks in good position for the upcoming Nor Cal Championships.
Espinoza has made the record-breaking a regularity, but that does not leave him any less excited each time he accomplishes something like this.
“This has been a great year for me,” Espinoza said. “I still get surprised when I break a record. It just fuels me to work harder.”
Of the 80 names on the LPC all-time list, Espinoza is at the top. Coach Navarro is excited not only for Espinoza’s current success, but also for his future.
“All the guys who are close to him on that list got scholarships to big schools,” Navarro said. “It’s cool to see the company that he is running with.”
Espinoza was not the only runner with a good performance in Salinas. Runners Adam White and Juan Morales finished in the top 10 to help the Hawks finish second overall as a team.
“Adam ran the best race he’s ever run,” Navarro said. “He looked calm, relaxed. His fifth place finish was huge for us.”
Morales was in 20th place at the two mile mark, but at the end of the four mile race, he was able to pass up 12 runners and finish eighth overall.
Although the team finished second overall, Navarro still sees room for improvement.